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The Bridge Newsletter
February 16th, 2023
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Franklin Academy's Family Corner | |
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Franklin Center Parent & Caregiver Facebook Group
Please click here to request to join the Franklin Center Parent and Caregiver Facebook Group. This is a space for Franklin families to exchange information and community resources with each other (and maybe get to know each other better too!).
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Volunteers Needed
PTO Volunteers are needed for the upcoming Spring Social! We will be holding the next PTO meeting Thursday, March 2nd, at 3:00 pm at Franklin Center. If you are interested in volunteering but can’t make the next meeting, contact Audra Williams at [email protected].
Owl's Nest is free for parents that attend the meeting. If you plan on utilizing Owl's Nest, please pre-register with Amber Trapp at [email protected].
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Tuition Statements for Taxes
Do you need a record of tuition paid in 2022 for your taxes? Statements are now available in your Blackbaud Tuition Management Account. Once you've logged in, click on the link "Student Year End Statement", located to the right of the "Make a Payment" box. If you have trouble accessing your statement, please call Tuition Management Customer Service at 888-868-8828 or use the Chat feature accessible from your account.
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Capstone Program Information Night
Interested in learning more about the Capstone Program? We will host a virtual webinar on Tuesday, February 28th at 7pm. Topics will include:
- changes to programming options,
- scheduling,
- external partnerships,
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tuition, and more.
A recording will be shared with all who RSVP. Non-Franklin families are invited!
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Classroom Highlight
By Hannah Jacobson
I have two classes to highlight this week: my advisory and my first period British Literature class. In advisory, students are on a schedule of different themes each day that help build community and strengthen emotional and social skills. Mondays are "Mindfulness Monday," and although a Monday morning tends to be one of the sleepier times at Franklin, this week there were plenty of laughs and energy as we went through a chair yoga routine. It was not the calmest yoga session, but we had a blast twisting and stretching. I'm proud of the Lake Nokomis students for consistently walking in with an upbeat attitude first thing in the morning.
In my first period British Literature class, seniors are working hard on a literary analysis. I've been so impressed with the way this group of students have dedicated themselves to this complex researching, drafting, writing, and editing process. I feel lucky to help guide them in this process and just listen to them discuss their ideas and help each other along. I can't wait to share their hard work with parents at conferences.
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Parking Lot Reminders
Because of the large snow banks, icy roads, and turkeys, please use caution when driving in the parking lot. Remember to follow the signs and reduce your speed to ensure the safety of students, parents, and staff. Thank you!
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Community Happenings
Providing our students at Franklin Academy with engaging, inviting and inclusive experiences during the school day is also part of Franklin Enrichment. Every Friday morning, students are encouraged to visit the library and check out books that are of interest. Ask your child(ren) about the book they have checked out this week! If you are a parent interested in volunteering, sign up here.
Our partnership with Breck School is another way we are working to engage our students with the wider community. Breck School is our unified Special Olympics sports partner, providing our students with an opportunity to engage and socialize with their peers in our community. Breck Upper School (high school) students are also visiting Franklin Academy every Wednesday from 10:30-11:30 am. Before their first visit, they sent videos and pamphlets to help our students to get to know the visiting students. For the first half hour of their visit, the Breck students have been paired with middle school classrooms to provide math activities at the appropriate level. Then the Breck students join our high school students at lunch.
We would appreciate parents' help in providing meals for our teachers during conferences. Sign up here to contribute. Thank you!
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Owls' Nest
Owls' Nest continues to be provided before and after school during the following hours: 7:00-8:00 am, 3:10-5:00 pm. Owls' Nest will be available on both Wednesday and Thursday of conferences until 5:00 pm for the drop in fee of $25. Please confirm your enrollment with Amber Trapp, Enrichment Program Manager, in advance.
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Camp Franklin
Camp Franklin 2023 registration is now open! The dates for Camp Franklin 2023 are:
- Session 1: 6/12- 6/30
- Session 2: 7/10- 7/28
- Session 3: 7/31- 8/4
Please see the brochure linked below for camp offerings. To register, log into your BlackBaud account. From February 16, 2023- February 28, 2023, we are offering a 5% discount on all registrations for Camp Franklin 2023 offerings. During this early bird registration period the prices shown reflect the 5% discount. On March 1st, 2023, the prices will revert to their original pricing and a discount will no longer be available.
Camp Franklin Brochure
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Activity Days
Fun collaborations are planned for February's Activity Days, scheduled for the week of February 21-24, 2023. On February 21st PowerUp, a video game truck will be on site. February 22nd, we will visit REM5 Virtual Reality Laboratory and more. See the attached flyer for more information.
To register, log into your BlackBaud account. For Activity Days, Owls' Nest is available for an additional fee from 7:00-8:00 am and 3:10-5:00 pm.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Enrichment Program Manager, Amber Trapp, at [email protected] or (952) 737-6925.
Activity Day Flyer
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Kim Strandemo, Principal
Dear Franklin Academy Families:
Happy New Year! With the new year ringing in and the Academy moving full steam ahead, we would like to invite you to the "State of Franklin Center" event. Details of the event are in this Bridge and I encourage you to attend.
We were grateful last month when, at the end of the day, a parent entered the building to let us know of an incident that was happening across the street. The safety of your child is our number one priority; but we practice for lockdowns and fire drills hoping that they are always just for practice. I am happy to report that when it wasn't "just for practice" staff and students did remarkably well during a very stressful time. From start to finish, it took only twelve minutes to figure out that we were safe and that everything was taken care of.
MS/HS students have revisited hallway and bathroom expectations. The high school has done a fantastic job of following those expectations since the revisit and has earned a “Fun Friday” that will happen after winter break.
Last week the Board of Directors approved next year’s Academy Calendar which is now posted on the website. As in previous years, we aligned with the current year's calendar. We will start before Labor Day and finish so that there is a week between the end of the school year and when our summer programming begins. We have hired a company (with grant money from the state) to give staff professional development throughout the school year. You will see a few days sprinkled in for just that reason. If you have any questions about the calendar, please reach out to Luc or Chloe.
The Positive Community Building committee is planning a spirit week in March (13-17); each day of the week will have a theme. Monday: Occupations, Tuesday: Meme/Superhero, Wednesday: Decades, Thursday: PJ, and Friday: Green Day. It’s fun to have a week to look forward to with some of these themed days. Look for photos on SeeSaw and our social media sites.
Mark your calendars for the April 14th Coffee and Convos as we have a guest speaker coming from My Health to talk about and answer questions you may have about the upcoming scheduled Sex Education series that will be offered to middle and high school students. They will come for 4 consecutive weeks presenting multiple topics: MS-Healthy Boundaries, Hygiene, Puberty, Consent and Healthy Relationships; HS-Hygiene, Consent, Healthy Relationships, Healthy Boundaries, and Five Circles of Wellness. As a follow-up, in the 5th week, we will have a separate speaker come to educate on internet safety that ties into these topics.
Attention 8th grade families: you will start receiving communication about the transition into high school following the mid-winter break. Please expect more information at winter conferences.
These are exciting times at Franklin Center, and we are happy you and your students can be a part of them!
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